I slept the whole afternoon. There was nothing much to do, so I figured that doing nothing would simply be the best solution.
"It's a good thing they don't care about me," I muttered.
Ugh, but what's with the commotion outside?
I rang the bell to get someone's attention, but surprisingly, there was a slight delay. Finally, the maid arrived and bowed in front of me.
"What seems to be the problem, my lady?" she asked, looking flustered.
Noticing the maids running around in the hallway, I inferred that it must be something significant. "What's the event outside?" I asked while crossing my arms.
"The lady doesn't know?" She raised her brow in confusion.
Obviously, I wouldn't ask if I knew.
"Did the lady perhaps-"
"No, of course not," she replied.
"I have my memories with, but of course, some things are hazy," I said, trying to sound nonchalant.
"It's…" although hesitant, she said in a muttering voice.
"…Lady Adele's debutante ball tonight."
The maid looked at me with confusion. It was a normal reaction considering that the old Josephine would snap at the mention of her name.
Hmmm. I highly doubt that Adele would like me at this point, but it's not too bad to give her something on her special day, right?
"When does it start?" I asked.
"Around 8:00 PM, Lady."
I still have around 3 hours.
"Okay, come back at around 7:50."
"You're not going to attend, my lady?" the maid asked, her eyes wide with surprise.
I bitterly smiled at her. "But why would I attend a party I'm not invited to?"
The maid fell silent, unable to find the right words.
"Stop pitying me," I said softly. "Just let me know when it's time."
I gestured her to exit and she bowed her head while doing so.
I reached to the top of my drawer and grabbed a box containing many jewels. Among them were precious ones that Josephine liked to hoard.
It was her hobby to collect them and create jewelry. In fact, the necklace that the prince gave to Adele, "Teardrop of the Goddess," was actually created by Josephine under the alias "Nephie."
That's why secretly, Josephine was rich in her own right, aside from the money she got from the family.
I readied my kit and went to work. I used a high-grade silver chain with a lacy design. I adorned each side with rare gems called kindle gems that boasted vitality. The laces were decorated with blood diamonds, and the star of the necklace was the Bloodstone Ruby, the rarest ruby in existence.
It was one of Josephine's most prized gems, but I don't need it. It will all be useless if I die anyway. There's no good use for it either. Once it was finished, it really looked like a masterpiece. Such a shame, honestly.
At this point, I really pitied Josephine. I bit my lips in frustration. The more I thought about it, the more it felt unfair for Josephine.
That's why I'll do my best to get her out of here.
I placed it in a designer's box and wrote a note: "Congrats on your Debutante, Josephine."
Weird. It's just a normal box no matter how you look at it, so why do I feel like I'll regret this later?
Anyways, I adorned it with a pink ribbon and rang the bell again. The maid came through and bowed.
I handed her the box. "Give this to Adele. It's my gift."
The maid looked nervous.
Why do I feel like I'm the bad one here?
"Sigh, it's not bad, okay? Here, look!" I opened the box and showed the necklace to her. "See? Not bad, eh?" I smirked confidently.
The maid, named Jane, now had sparkling eyes. "Wow! Lady! Isn't this made by Nephie?"
A slight annoyance marked my face. "Uh, yeah…?"
"Amazing! Amazing! Nephie's work is so beautiful and brilliant that even the imperial family praises her!" Her face was close to the box. I moved it aside.
"Anyways! Give it to her. It's my gift."
Jane is a good girl after all.
"I'll take care of it. Yes, Lady."
"But Lady, how did you get this piece? Nephie's work is rare."
"Nephie is a close friend of mine," I said, scratching my head and laughing awkwardly.
"Is that so?" the maid replied, a hint of curiosity in her voice.
"Go. Also, prepare my dinner beforehand at the cottage in the maze," I instructed.
"As you wish, Lady," she responded and left the room.
I let out a sigh of relief. I couldn't let anyone know that I was Nephie, or else escaping would become even harder. I looked through the balcony again and gazed at the night sky. The full moon was shining brightly, and the stars enveloped the dark blanket.
'I don't know why I'm here' I thought to myself.
'That was my question, and I don't really know the answer.'